Antonia Vail

Exactly a year ago, Mac Miller introduced us to his album GO:OD AM; an album constructed like a musical memoir that he rooted in his mid-90s East Coast hip-hop influences. The album received generally good reviews across the board and was the third highest selling album during its debut week. So, how do you one up the success of an album like that? You create a heart-on-your-sleeve homage to the women in your life, and that is exactly what Mac Miller did.

Miller opens with a track titled “Congratulations” that contains Miller rapping over a graceful, jazz-centric piano melody. Throughout the rest of the album, he uses beats that take us back to 2000s runway tracks in songs like “Dang!” “Soulmate,” and “My Favorite Part.” Yet, Miller keeps the listener in 2016 with his intimate lyrics that depict his admiration for the woman in his life.

In songs like “Skin” and “We” he keeps the beat simple. This simplicity forces us to direct our focus towards the powerful honesty in his words. The final song, “God Is Fair, Nasty Sexy,” he does a hip-hop take on jazz ballads, creating a reflection of the opening track and an assessment of the album’s progression.

His previous album GO:OD AM gave us a completely transparent, honest dialogue on the lifestyle that comes with success. For The Divine Feminine, Mac Miller reroutes that same honesty from his criticism of living in excess to his love and appreciation for women. The soft, romantic aspect may not be seen as impressive for those that liked his previous album. But in the end, his raw lines mixed with the elegance of the music truly captures The Divine Feminine that Mac Miller is paying tribute to.

7 out of 10 stars